Match Day from a Canary - Swansea

It felt like a lifetime since we had been at home. In actual fact it was four weeks! It was great to be back and the atmosphere was buzzing to start with; we had all rallied together and were behind the boys singing and cheering in a way we haven’t in a while.

This was such a massive match, after the defeat at Wigan 3 points would have been amazing. However, the main reason I wanted to get the 3 points was to shut up the ‘Get Hughton Out’ people, as my bet would be they quickly change their tune with a win and love the man. It’s all very fickle. 

2pm came around and the team sheet was announced; cue whinging. But, even I, the most positive person was surprised that we had not started two up front. However, giving this option a quick analysis I don’t feel that Becchio is strong enough and Holt was just aggressive yesterday and also last week at the DW Stadium. This may be because he came on as a sub. He vents his frustration in a childish manner and gets stroppy, pretty unacceptable behaviour for the Club captain. Had we of started him with Kamara this may be a different story. But then you face the question of who to take out...

The main question of the day was always going to be could we handle Michu?! My answer; not like we can handle other strikers but it was given a damn good go. Michu is one of, potentially the best, striker in the Premier League and he was always going to be a handful but we limited his chances as best we could and didn’t let him dominate or take total control of the match.  

Swansea are an amazing team that I admire because they play a unique style of football. They move almost as a unit; the midfield are attacking and they back up their strikers. This is something that Norwich fail to do and after clever play and passes Kamara was often left by himself with the ball with no-one around him to help. The speed that the ball got from one half to the other, from a defensive to an attacking position was incredible. They know how to pass and they do it very well; long balls on the ground to the right players while constantly being on the move.  

The first 30 minutes was far from ideal from the Norwich perspective, particularly when Bunn hobbled off injured, and the atmosphere at Carrow Road had turned hostile very quickly. A goal was due and unsurprisingly it came powerfully from Michu. That could have been it for us but the guys responded quickly and positively and the comeback goal within 5 minutes was special. A great pass by Kamara and an equally great cross by Bennett finished deservedly by Snoddy’s head. My friend jumped up so quickly she then felt faint, oh the drama! As the match went on I was feeling steadily more sick and my nerves were in tatters.  

Snodgrass as Man of the Match? I don’t know who makes this decision but I don’t agree with that decision and people around started questioning it too. There would be three candidates for me; Garrido (during the first 30 minutes fought constantly to try and stop them), Turner (really passionate and absolutely hammered that goal home – with a strange celebration albeit but I spied a cute little smile) or Johnson (one of the most improved players under Hughton. He showed real passion and drive and never looked disheartened at any point.)

We did not get the three points we were so desperate for but we did not play badly at all and there was a marked improvement from some games of late. Yes the goals we conceded were sloppy but as previously mentioned this is down to the speed of Swansea.  At 1-1 it was all very even but we pushed hard to get that second goal. That was a massive morale booster both in the stadium and on the pitch and we were by far the better team while it was 2-1 as the guys really pushed hard for a third goal that unfortunately never came. It was gutting to concede the second goal and for the final 10 minutes after this the team just looked deflated, a trait we have seen so many time before. 

A point is a point and it is better than nothing so let’s stop whinging and really unite and get behind the boys for the next matches. I do not fear our safety and I shall stay positive – who’s joining me?!

Emily Ward

@emilyward1990